The Maze
by PhoenixWormwood137
Summary: The Doctor gets a distress signal, a distress signal from a tiny American town called Danville. He expects adventure. Instead, he finds two children who are supposed to be dead, and sets off a deadly, erratic, and painfully fragile reaction.
1. Chapter 1

**Second Doctor Who fic, and I tried to do my homework on it, but I don't know the ins and outs of the Doctor Who universe, so I might make some mistakes. If you spot them, could you let me know? Thanks! Enjoy! :)**

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><p><em>Vworp.<em>

_Vworp._

_Vworp._

.

"Oh, my gosh, Phineas. What is that?"

Isabella Garcia-Shapiro clutched her crush's hand. One minute they had been innocently lost in a corn maze, the next, a ghostly blue outline had appeared before them, making strange metallic sounds and growing more solid with every passing second.

"I don't know," Phineas said, reaching out to touch it.

"It's a phonebox," another, green-haired boy said. "A phonebox from the nineteen fifties."

"What's it doing here?" Phineas said, laying his hand on the now-solid blue panels.

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><p>The Doctor was having a day off. Or, so he thought. So he hoped.<p>

He was just beginning to believe he might actually get away with not saving the universe for an afternoon, when the TARDIS started bleeping out a distress signal. The sound was coming from the computer screen on the spaceship's main control panel.

"Oh, what is it now?" he said, and dragged himself over to the screen, hoping the distress signal was from some lonely bit of space junk he could ignore.

He was in a bit of a mood.

But it only took one look at the screen to startle and intrigue him out of it.

"That - that is a - an - amazing..." he drew his glasses from a pocket in his jacket and set them on his nose.

"All right, you win," he told the screen. "Take me wherever this signal originated."

.

And so the TARDIS hurtled toward Danville.

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><p>The Doctor popped his head out of the TARDIS door, causing a red-headed child to jump back from the blue box.<p>

The Doctor's hearts skipped a beat each, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he surveyed the other children gathered around his TARDIS.

Another kid who looked terrifyingly familiar - from his green hair to his big, dark blue eyes - and a black-haired girl in a pink miniskirt he didn't recognize.

"Are you in trouble?" he asked.

The redhead retreated to where his friends were standing. "Uh - we're just lost. It's a corn maze, though, so we're sort of supposed to be lost."

The Doctor exited his ship, and held out his hand. "Could I see that remote you've got there... what was your name? Phineas?"

The redhead looked down at the remote control he was holding, then handed it over.

The Doctor examined the remote. It was small and nondescript, with a single purple button glowing in its centre.

"What does this button do?" he asked, without taking his eyes off it.

"Well," Phineas said, "It calls for help. We were really lost in this maze, and we figured we could use a little help from our friends."

"This was just designed to call your friends?" the Doctor said. "Phineas, do you realize - this was transmitting all the way into outer space? Where did you get all the power? Technology like this won't be around for hundreds of years."

"Um -" Phineas traded looks with his companions. "Batteries me and my brother made. No offense, dude, but WHO are you?"

"Oh, sorry," the Doctor said. "Rude of me not to introduce myself. That's me, rude and not ginger. But I see you don't have either of those problems."

He handed the remote back to Phineas. "I'm the Doctor."

"Nice to meet you, Doctor. Can I ask you something?"

"Ask away." The Doctor put his hands in the pockets of his trench coat.

Phineas swallowed. "How did you know my name?"

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><p><strong>And THAT is my first chapter. The Doctor's character might be really hard to pin down, especially since I SUCK at characterization... so, please tell me if he's OOC. I felt like he was slightly cardboard in this one...? B<strong>**ut it's my first time writing his character and, well, live and learn.**

**I appreciate thoughts and feedback so...**

**review?**

**THANKS :D**

**And thanks for reading this!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Watched Doomsday. Cried my heart out. Don't own any of this stuff.**

**After that short author's note, you know what we must say, don't you?**

**On with the story. ALLONS-Y!**

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><p><em>[Last time]<em>

_"Nice to meet you, Doctor. Can I ask you something?"_

_"Ask away." The Doctor put his hands in the pockets of his trench coat._

_Phineas swallowed. "How did you know my name?"_

_._

The Doctor studied Phineas' face with a serious expression.

"I know lots of things," he said. "However, I _don't know_ exactly where I am. Danville, right? But what's with the corn?"

Phineas smiled. "This is our backyard. My brother - Ferb - and I made this corn maze so we'd have something to do today."

"You and your brother built this - for fun - in your backyard?"

The Doctor picked an ear of corn from the nearest plant and licked it. "It's real! How big is your backyard?"

"It's just a normal Danville backyard..."

The Doctor put a hand into his coat and brought out a glowing blue and silver tube - his sonic screwdriver. "And you fit a corn maze, big enough to get lost in, in this _normal Danville backyard?_"

He raised the screwdriver, and ran it up and down the piece of corn he had picked.

"Well, yeah," Phineas said uncomfortably. "Sometimes... well, I guess, sometimes, the yard seems bigger on the inside than the outside... but I guess that sounds crazy, doesn't it?"

"Insane." The Doctor switched his screwdriver off. "Phineas, can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure."

"Can you show me around? Give me a tour?"

Phineas hesitated, and the girl in the pink skirt cut in.

"I'm outta here," she said. "I'm going to... go see if I can find a way through the maze... see ya."

She shot the Doctor a look that was clearly apprehensive, then scampered away to the small elevated walkway that was built into the corn maze.

"Doesn't trust me," the Doctor said knowingly. "Don't blame her, of course."

He caught a flash of movement and looked over Phineas' head to the elevated walkway where the little girl was. He was just in time to see her slip on one of the steps and loose her balance -

"Oops!" He said, starting towards her as Phineas and Ferb turned and realized their friend had fallen.

Phineas sprinted over. "Isabella, are you okay?" he asked.

She sniffed back tears, obviously in some pain. One of her legs was sticking out from her knee at a weird angle. When Phineas touched it, she burst out crying, scrubbing at her face with muddy hands.

"Um... you're a Doctor, aren't you?" Phineas looked nervously back. "Can you help? _Please?_"

"Uh, n-no, I don't th-think so," Isabella stammered.

"I can, though," the Doctor said. "Don't worry."

He crouched beside her, and she flinched away. "You don't have to be scared," he said. "Look - I've got lots of college degrees for this sort of thing."

He reached into his coat and brought out a blank piece of paper. When Isabella saw it, she calmed.

"Okay then," she said, still a bit reluctantly.

"It's okay," the Doctor said. "I can understand - strange man, walks into your yard, freaks you out, shows you a paper that tells you he's a qualified pediatrician when he's actually ... one second - and there!"

There was a popping sound, and Isabella's leg snapped back into its normal position. "There we go!" the Doctor said, standing up and smiling. "Right as rain. _Now_ do you trust me, Isabella?"

"You just... you _just_ wanted me to _trust _you! Did you make me fall?"

The Doctor's smile faded to a small size. "No. It was just chance. I swear. There're are enough bad things happening in the world, I don't want to make more. Do you believe me?"

"I guess." Isabella hoisted herself back up onto her feet, wincing a little when she put weight on the leg. "Thanks for helping me."

"No problem. Now..." he looked at Phineas. "About that tour?"

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><p>Phineas' distress signal soon brought more of his friends, who led them noisily out of the maze. The Doctor walked behind the group, keeping quiet, with the green-haired boy.<p>

"Hello," the boy said, when his friends were busy in their own conversation. "I'm Ferb."

The Doctor nodded slowly. "I'm the Doctor. But I suppose you know that."

"Nice to meet you," Ferb said. "I hope you don't mind me saying... well, it's nice to meet another quiet, English person, after living in America so long."

Ferb's eyes bored into the Doctor, but the Doctor didn't look away. There was something more to that sentence - like Ferb was testing him.

"I'm normally not this quiet," he said.

"Ah." Ferb didn't blink.

"Do I know you?" the Doctor said.

"Yes, I rather think you do."

"You remember, then?"

"Remember what?"

It wasn't a question so much as a denial.

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><p>The sonic screwdriver came out a lot during that tour 'round the garage. The Doctor couldn't resist scanning every last invention Phineas showed him - there weren't many machines, for, as Phineas explained, most of the brothers' work disappeared at the end of the day, but there were enough - enough to make any mouth in the universe gape with admiration.<p>

Except for one.

The last Time Lord had seen a lot in his life, but he still usually let himself "ooh" and "ahh" over interesting human artifacts. It was something that kept him sane, kept him easy-going - appreciation of the beautiful details in the world.

But his jaw didn't drop as he surveyed the tables and boxes of thingamajigs and whatchamacallits. If anything, it grew a bit tighter.

Only when they were done did he show any sign of admiration.

"Phineas," he said, standing back and bouncing on the soles of his feet. "Phineas, you've - oh. And Ferb, too. Can't forget Ferb..." the Doctor looked down at the green haired Brit. "Where was I? Oh, yes... boys... brilliant. You're brilliant."

The edges of his mouth dragged across his cheeks in a reluctant grin, but he dropped it quickly. "Of course, you're messing with big things here... big things -" he popped the "b" on the word "big" - "But don't let that stop you. No, the thing that worries me here is much more troubling than a little thing like warping the history of the human race."

He looked down at the children's faces - some disbelieving, some amazed. Phineas, eager.

The Doctor knelt, so he was at that avid redhead's height.

"Can I do a brain scan?"

"What?" Phineas looked startled, but not wary.

"Of you," the Doctor said. "Can I enter your mind?"

"You can do that? Why do you want to?" Phineas drew back, but he still looked interested.

"I just want to know ... a bit more about you and your brother. I just want to know how you got _so_ intelligent."

"Go ahead, then," Phineas said.

The Doctor put his hands gently on either side of the boy's head, and prepared to dive into his mind. Then he stopped, putting his hands on his knees again.

"It might be dangerous," he admitted. "You might get hurt."

"You're the Doctor, aren't you?" Phineas said.

"Yes."

"Well, then, can't you fix it, if something goes wrong?"

The Doctor looked down, then nodded. "I'll try - no. I promise I will."

"Well, okay, then," Phineas said.

"Why so trusting? I could be anyone," the Doctor said softly. "Any type of alien, just wanting to harvest your brain and extract your memories..."

"But you're not," Phineas said confidently. "I can just tell. Plus, I don't really believe in aliens."

"Well, that's alright, then," the Doctor said, and replaced his hands on Phineas' head. "Just, tell me if you feel uncomfortable..."

And he jumped in.

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><p><strong>...Reviews are email-sunshine on a rainy (snowy!) day.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, so, before we continue…**

**Sorry for the delay :/ my evenings have been busy… no… not school. I'm at the end of Doctor Who season four. That takes work! :D**

**Oh, and I have to say - some reviewers pointed out that of course Phineas believes in aliens, because of Meap, and because of the episode "Out to Launch". Yes. That was dumb of me to forget, sorry! :)**

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><p><em>[Last time]<em>

_The Doctor put his hands gently on either side of the boy's head, and prepared to dive into his mind..._

_._

It had been… so long. So long since the Doctor had felt a mind like this. Years upon years, many human lifetimes.

He had meant only to touch the boy's thoughts, brush them for a second, determine his species and maybe his origins, if there was time.

But once he started, it was so hard to stop.

He knew staying another second could kill Phineas, and that was the kickstart, the boost he needed to get out, to resist the urge to stay and ponder.

The world was so bright when he opened his eyes, but there was only one sun lighting it. Not Gallifrey. Earth!

It took him a second to adjust, and his reflexes were slow, so that he only just caught Phineas before the boy slammed into the sunbaked driveway.

"What's going on?" Ferb said.

It was like a punch in the gut, all at once, and the Doctor's hands shook, just a little, as he turned Phineas over, checked his pulse.

"I was right," he said. "You and Phineas are hiding a lot of things."

"He doesn't know," Ferb snapped. "He never knew. He doesn't even think we're related biologically."

"You all need to get out of here," the Doctor said. "All of you, as far away as possible."

"No!" Isabella said. "There's no way I'm going to leave Phineas with you, 'Doctor'! What did you _do_ to him, you creep?"

"Nothing I can't reverse, if you give me time. But it's dangerous. You've got to run, before-" he stopped. "I can't make you leave, can I?"

Ferb looked at Isabella, and they both shook their heads. The two other boys looked at each other -

"I'm out of here!" The larger one proclaimed, dragging the smaller boy out of the yard with him.

The gate shut, and there was an awkward pause.

"All right," the Doctor said. "Ferb, Isabella, if you want to help Phineas, you've got to listen to me. Phineas has a past he's never talked about, am I right?"

"Yes, but -" Ferb said.

"I know you know," the Doctor said. "But you don't know everything."

Phineas moaned, and gave a huge sigh. The air above his mouth shimmered yellow for a second, and the Doctor put a hand out, as if he could physically feel the golden cloud. "That's bad. Dying… and they don't regenerate, do they?"

He ran his fingers through Phineas' hair for a second, hesitantly and jerkily, before pulling away, as if catching himself.

Ferb swallowed hard. "_Who_ doesn't regenerate?"

"What's regenerate?" Isabella snapped, glowering at the Doctor.

"Create a new body when you die. That's what it means to regenerate," the Doctor answered. "And - my children don't seem to be able to do it."

"What are you talking about?" Isabella said. "Your kids?"

The Doctor stood up, putting his hands in his pockets. "I shouldn't have risked touching Phineas' mind. I reactivated genes and impulses he's never felt, integrated into such a normal human setting like he was. There was every chance his self-defence instincts would kick in, like they have, when he felt the presense of another -"

"Another _what_?" Isabella was nearly in tears, her face pink with frustration.

"Time Lord," the Doctor said. "Another Time Lord. It's worse because our genetic codes are so similar. Boys this intelligent, I should have known right away..."

Isabella started to say something loud and possibly insulting, but Ferb clapped a hand over her mouth. "Sorry, Izzy. Doctor - please, can you explain more? I can understand."

"Of course you can. You're brilliant." The Doctor ran a hand through his hair. "Are your parents home? We should bring Phineas inside, if the house is empty."

"Yes, they're gone."

The Doctor picked Phineas up, and the other children followed, Ferb leading a tearful Isabella by the hand.

Once Phineas was lying on the couch and Isabella was curled in a chair, clutching a glass of lemonade to douse her hiccups, Ferb pressed for an answer again.

"Please, I need to know. Will Phineas be alright? Can you help him?"

The Doctor sighed. "All we can do right now is wait, and hope he wakes up better. Ah! I hate waiting like this! Feeling useless isn't something that comes up in my life regularly."

He dropped into a chair, looking around with a slightly bitter expression.

"Explain," Ferb said. "Please."

The Doctor took a deep breath. "Phineas - you and Phineas - really are brothers, not just step-brothers, but I guess you know that. I guess you remember a bit. Both adopted, but you forgot. Half-human, so it was easy for you to forget."

A flash of dampened pain lit the Doctor's ancient brown eyes, but it was gone in a second. "Still, the bit of Time Lord in you is enough. It was enough for him. He inherited the survival instincts, superhuman ones. When he felt my mind, they turned against him. He's overwhelmed and hysterical -" the Doctor shot a glance at Isabella, who was illustrating "overwhelmed and hysterical" outstandingly - "And he's sort of shorted out. Anything could happen. He could wake up fine again, like when you turn a frozen computer off and it's fixed when you plug it back in. Or... but we can't know. Not 'till he wakes up."

Ferb sat in silence, and Isabella kept crying. And the Doctor sat, and stared, and thought.

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><p><strong>Sooo - forgive my fangirl moment with the "ancient brown eyes" description. DAVIDDDDDDDDDD! Okay, I'm done. Sorry :D<strong>

**I honestly don't know whether this was good or not, so please let me know :) thanks!**

**Things WILL become clearer as we go along. About Phineas and Ferb's early life, I mean. At least - I intend to make them clearer :D**

**Until next time - keep calm, don't blink, and count the shadows (last time I counted, I had two. Honest! And no, I'm not just really failed in math)!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Again… the delay. Why didn't I write for a while? I'm not as into Phineas and Ferb as I was before, I had a lot of Doctor Who to watch, I have so many ideas for fanfiction it's not even funny, I got stuck, and, to top it off, I'm really lazy. Mostly the last one. So sorry… ah, yes, I am so sorry, I really am, I'm so sorry! :D I don't want to be one of those slowwwww updaters who - anyway. This is why I mostly write oneshots. :)**

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><p>It wasn't long before Phineas began moaning in his sleep.<p>

All three of his worried watchers jumped up. The Doctor was quickest, darting over to him and laying a hand on his forehead. He pushed Isabella and Ferb back with a deadly serious look, then turned his attention back to Phineas.

"Are you alright?" he said.

Phineas' eyes fluttered open. After taking a long, confused look at the Doctor, he sat up, rubbed his eyes, and yawned. "What's going on?" he said.

Ferb and Isabella exchanged hesitantly relieved looks, but the Doctor still wore a frown. "Stay back," he told the others.

Phineas jerked back at the sound of his voice, then, after a moment of seeming indecision, stood up on the couch.

"What's he doing?" Isabella said.

"Just stay back," the Doctor said.

Phineas glared at him, then, in a fast spontaneous movement that made the other children start, he jumped over the couch and out of sight.

"What the -" Isabella said. "Phineas? Phineas, what's -"

"Truth or dare?" Phineas' head popped up from behind the sofa.

"_What_?" Isabella said.

"This is going to be complicated," the Doctor said, ducking behind a chair, pulling Ferb and Isabella with him. He leaned in to talk conspiratorially with them. "Phineas' life, and the survival of three quarters of the universe, depend on what we do now. So - I say - dare!"

This last word was directed at the redhead who was behind the couch opposite them. Phineas perked up immediately upon hearing it, and raised his head to look at the Doctor. "Hop on one foot," he said. "You've all got to, okay?"

"That's not how the game works," Isabella said, but the Doctor shushed her.

"You've got to hop for our lives, got it?" he said. "Get outside, and hop to safety."

"Why are we obeying him?"

"Because there's enough energy in his body to blow the galaxy apart, and we shouldn't mess with it. Put that energy and the brain and whims of a child together - and I suppose what you get is a twisted, life and death truth or dare game." He let out a small laugh. "Brilliant. His reflexes are in shock, so he'll lash out, but truth or dare, that's just brilliant! If I can jog his memory enough to make him recognize Time Lords as legitimate - I can ask a truth question, it'll be easy!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Isabella said, jumping up and down on one foot. "What are you talking about? Phineas wouldn't do anything to hurt us."

"No," agreed the Doctor. "_Phineas_ wouldn't. Phineas' baser reflexes, once they've taken over most of his brain, however… different story. I'm sorry, Isabella - I'm so sorry." The graveness of the moment was ruined slightly by the fact that the Doctor's red converse shoes were bouncing up and down on the carpet, but Isabella still choked down a sob and accepted the apology.

"What do we have to do to get him back?" She said.

"Good thinking," the Doctor said, "but there is no 'we' involved. I shouldn't have let you stay, it really is too dangerous - oh, why do I even try? Stay, then, and if you get killed, it's not my fault. What we have to do is make him remember something early, something from his distant past."

"Why?"

"Because then he might remember what he's supposed to do with all these new instincts and genes. They've been dormant for so long, re-activating them was a bad idea. I didn't mean to, I shouldn't have touched his mind… Phineas! Truth or dare?"

"Dare," came the cheerful answer.

"Right," the Doctor said, pausing his hopping and sitting down on the armchair they had been crouching behind. "Tell me what you can remember from your childhood."

"That's not a dare, that's a truth," Phineas said. "Plus, I don't remember much, so, no offence, but that was a lame try. The orphanage wasn't very interesting. Do something exciting, please, I want a dare."

The Doctor sighed. "Okay."

And that was the closest he got to uncovering Phineas' memories for a long while. Half an hour dragged by, then an hour, 'till Ferb and Isabella were worn out, bored to tears and frayed by tension at the same time. Phineas was his normal, polite self in voice, but was jumpy and acted erratically, insisting on the never-ending child's game. The Doctor was running out of dares, and Phineas would never ask for truth, no matter how crazy said dares got.

"Just, can't you end it?" Isabella begged after the clock had made its rounds once more. The Doctor shook his head. "I can't provoke Phineas, I told you."

"No, but isn't there something else you could try?" Ferb said.

"Like what?"

"We could get him to do something dangerous."

"But he'd still -"

"To us."

"What?" Isabella said.

"Truth or dare?" Phineas said.

"Nothing," the Doctor said. "Truth."

"It's risky, but it's worth it," Ferb said.

"No," the Doctor returned.

"_Yes_," Isabella said. "What are we talking about?"

"It's nothing," the Doctor said with equal force.

"What's your name?" Phineas said.

The Doctor froze, breathing slowly, then looked at the green haired boy beside him.

"Ferb, I need your permission."

"I think it would work better if we involved Isabella."

"First love, huh?" The Doctor heaved a deep sigh. "_And_ he's oblivious to the fact he likes her, isn't he. That's rooted in the subconscious, and it might make his hidden memories more accessible, if we shake him up -"

"Doctor, what's your name?" Phineas said again.

"Isabella," the Doctor said, his words coming hard and fast, "I'm going to ask Phineas to hurt you."

Her lip trembled, and he continued, "Notice how he's still being polite when he talks to us? There's a bit of his old self still in there, and, I think, if we can wake it up, we'll be a step closer to ending this. His old self would never even lay a finger on you, and it might fight back if we rub it in a totally wrong direction."

"And it might not?" Isabella said.

The Doctor nodded. "It's up to you, I know how hard it would be to see your best friend come at you - but it's that or risk making him angry. And while he's so unstable -"

"Why can't you just do the truth and tell him your name?" Isabella snapped.

A little of the colour in the Doctor's face faded.

"Okay," Isabella said. "I'll do it. You're too scared to do a little thing like say your name, and I'll do _this!_" She stood. "Phineas, I dare you to hit me as hard as you can."

There was a tense, quiet moment. Phineas' eyes widened, and then he got up resolutely. He walked to Isabella - raised his hand - and then dropped it and spoke in a husky voice. "Okay. I give up. Truth."

"Phineas," Ferb cut in. "Tell me about the time we were together, before the orphanage, the time when it was so hot and cold and fast..."

Phineas turned slowly to face his brother. "Sorry?"

"You remember. I know you do."

Phineas sat down hard on the floor. "Yeah. Of course. Now I do."

Everyone's gaze was on him - no one noticed tears outlining the bottom of the Doctor's brown eyes as Phineas slowly began to speak.

"It hurt," he whispered. "A lot. We hit the ground so hard - like the big bang two - I couldn't see or hear or - and then I could. We got out but it hurt. We got burned and - that's all I -"

He stopped, and took a deep breath - then fell to the ground in the same way he had on the driveway outside.

"Ha!" The Doctor jumped forward, wiping his nose on his sleeve and grinning like a kid under a Christmas tree. "We did it! Ha! We did it!" he pulled the others into a hug. "We did it!"

"And you've all got a lot of explaining to do," Isabella said, resisting his embrace. "Like, a lot."

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><p><strong>WHOO! I GOT THAT ACTUALLY DONE! You have no idea how lazy I was - well, actually, you do, you were waiting for me (sorry again) - and getting that written feels so good. I'll try really hard to get the next bit up a lot quicker.<strong>

**I thought it went a bit fast… _please _tell me if you thought it was messed up, because if it was confusing, weird, and/or rushed, I need to hear that, and I might re-write. I won't get offended if you have criticism :) Thanks!**

**And - sorry if Ten acts Eleven-ish. I've been watching series six.**

**People who get the reference I made by making them "hop for their lives" are amazing.**

**I was trying to think of clever ways to say, "REVIEW ALREADY", but all I could think of was, "Reviewers will be fed to the Minotaur, how cool is that!" and that's a bit dissuading, not to mention I've already used enough Doctor Who references in my author's notes… so… leave a review? Pretty please? THANK YOU FOR READING!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Anyway… I know last chapter needs a re-write but I don't think I'll ever get around to it… the list of things I desperately want to write is daunting.**

**This whole story sort of needs a re-write… I don't mind the idea but this whole thing really isn't written very well at all. *shudder of disgust***

**Anyway. Here's the last chapter in "The Maze".**

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><p><em><strong>Last time: <strong>__"And you've all got a lot of explaining to do," Isabella said, "Like, a lot."_

"I know," the Doctor said. "But first, let's make sure Phineas will be okay medically. Come with me."

He picked up Phineas, and the other two children followed him out into the yard. The corn maze had completely gone, leaving only the TARDIS sitting in the spotless grass.

"It's disappeared!" The Doctor said, amazed.

"Yeah," Isabella said. "Like Phineas said before… everything disappears before our mom comes home."

"That'll be Phineas' subconscious trying to integrate itself into a normal Earth setting," the Doctor said. "He doesn't want his human guardian to reject the Time Lord talent he's exhibiting." They reached the TARDIS, and the Doctor held the door open. "In we go," he said.

"Oh my goodness," Isabella said, peering in. "It's bigger on the inside!"

As she and Ferb admired the machinery, the Doctor rested Phineas on one of the chairs that sat beside the console, and wrapped a wire-like attachment around the boy's wrist.

"He'll be fine," he said in answer to Ferb and Isabella's questions. "In fact - look. He's waking up."

Isabella and Ferb rushed to the redhead's side.

Phineas' eyes slowly opened, and he raised himself on his elbow. "What happened?" he said groggily.

"How much do you remember?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't know," Phineas said. "Most of -" he shivered. "I can remember it all, I think, Doctor. I don't know why -"

"Shh," Isabella said. "It's okay."

She hugged him, and he hesitated before returning the embrace. "Thanks," he said.

The Doctor looked on, but cut in as soon as he could.

"Can I check something?" he said. He pulled a stethoscope from inside his coat, and laid the end on Ferb's chest - first one side, than the other.

Both sides emitted a dull thumping sound.

"Two hearts," the Doctor said, and repeated the process on Phineas, with the same verdict.

Phineas looked scared. "What does that mean?"

"Here," the Doctor said, and, handing Ferb the stethoscope, guided it over his own chest.

"You have two, as well," Ferb said, but Phineas looked dissatisfied. "I still don't know what it means," he said.

"We're not from Earth," the Doctor said. "You can remember, before your human life, being in that escape pod that crashed to this planet, can't you?"

Ferb nodded, very pale, and Phineas looked down.

"I put you in that pod before our planet was destroyed. I put the perception filter on you that stopped anyone else ever noticing your binary vascular system... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," Phineas said. "Me and Ferb have always done impossible things. It's not that hard to believe. But - what's really bothering me -"

"Yes?"

"You said something about your children."

"Yeah." The Doctor looked down. "I'm - well - your father."

"Wanna cut off our hands now?" Phineas said. In spite of the joke, his voice was shaky.

The Doctor sighed deeply. "I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have come. I should have left you."

"We're glad you came," Ferb said.

"Thank you."

There was an extremely awkward silence.

At last, Phineas dared to ask. "Who was our real mom, then?"

The Doctor opened his mouth, tried to speak, and stopped. "A beautiful woman," he managed at last, "Who didn't deserve to die."

"What happened?"

"The Time War happened," he said. "I - I suppose _I _happened. I wasn't - I'm sorry, Phineas. I tried to save her."

"When?"

"Phineas," the Doctor said. His voice was low and a little bit pleading.

Another awkward silence.

"What now? Will you come with me?" The Doctor said. "I travel a lot. I can't settle down - will you come? I hate to ask, but…"

"Yeah," Phineas said quietly. "I think I'd like that. You could tell us more."

"I owe you that," the Doctor said.

"What about our human family?" Ferb said.

"We could be back in five minutes," the Doctor promised. "Time travel."

"You can travel in time?" Phineas said.

"Don't believe me?"

"No, I believe you. We've done it before."

The Doctor grinned. "Really? Then what do you say?"

There was a long silence. "Can Isabella come, too?"

"You bet."

Phineas shook hands with the Doctor. "It's a deal. Back in five minutes."

* * *

><p><strong>Blahh : Anyway - there you have it! The end. I really need to apologize, because all you readers are honestly so wonderful and you deserve better. I know this story was terrible and plot-holey. I realize I totally wrote myself into a corner there, with the boys' mom. Bad planning. I didn't specify she was a Time Lady, because I really don't know what would work with canon. During the time war? I don't know. My only defence for my ignorance is that I plan to rectifying it by watching Classic Who soon.**

**NOW! *rubs hands* off to write some MORE Doctor Who stuff! I have big plannnssss for some chapter stories, my precious...**

**Thanks so much for reading. Sorry for being so self-bashing. I just feel a little bit useless in terms of writing… sometimes. Like now. (So why am I going to mar the fandom with more of my stuff? Who knows :D It's, like, obsessive compulsive) This story was a bit of an excuse for an info dump on an idea. It could have been done so much - you know who I'm reminding myself of right now? ****"Look at this story! Not remotely important! But this idea of a PnF/DW combination? IT COULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH MORE!"**

**Lol ;) I think I did my best. I should shut up and just be thankful now. Thanks. You all rock. Really. You are all - AMAZING. I would give you cookies if I could. Real ones. Big, peanut butter chocolate chip ones, like the ones that are in our cookie jar right now and are simply mouthwatering (my mom is a fantastic baker)... (I mean it from both my hearts - and look, count them :D)**


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